4:49 PM,
Oct. 4, 2013

Written by

Natalie Palmer
Special to The Daily News Journal

Matthew Quick's new novel, "Forgive Me Leonard Peacock," is a complex book about teen suicide, filled with memorable characters and plenty of levity to counteract the grim subject matter.

The book begins as Leonard Peacock plans on his 18th birthday to give five gifts away to his friends, kill former best-friend Asher Beal and finally kill himself. This seems like a grim book, which it is, but the true feeling of the book can be found just in the first chapter.

We first meet the protagonist, Leonard, as he's taking a picture of his grandfather's World War II gun that he plans use to kill himself. ...